** South Korea’s KOSPI stock index closed lower on Friday as foreigners sold stocks of semiconductor producers. South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix ended down 2.2 percent and 2.5 percent respectively. The won rose while bond yields fell.

** At 06:30 GMT, the KOSPI closed down 12.36 points or 0.52 percent at 2,343.07. The benchmark index inched up 0.2 percent on a weekly basis, extending its gain into a third week.

** Shares of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) plunged 29.8 percent on its close after it lost its bid for a U.S. Air Force training jet to Boeing. Hanwha Aerospace also closed 11.5 percent lower.

** The won was quoted at 1,109.3 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.29 percent firmer than its previous close at 1,112.5, extending its gain to a sixth consecutive session. For the week, the currency won edged up 0.5 percent.

** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,109.23 per U.S. dollar, up 0.41 percent from the previous day, while in one-year non-deliverable forwards it was being asked at 1,092.7 per dollar.